Ipswich Town welcome Kieran McKenna as new manager
Martyn Pert arrives as assistant manager
Last updated 17th Dec 2021
Kieran McKenna is the new manager of Ipswich Town Football Club.
He's joined Portman Road from Manchester United, where he was a first-team coach, on a three and a half-year deal, to become the 19th manager in the club's history.
Kieran, 35, worked under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the Red Devils, helping the team to consecutive third and second placed finishes in the Premier League in 2019/20 and 2020/21 respectively.
The Northern Irishman started coaching after seeing his career cut short as a result of injury in 2009. He later joined the Tottenham Hotspur Academy in 2015 before moving onto Manchester United a year later.
Joining Kieran as Town’s assistant manager is Martyn Pert, who has coached at various other clubs in the Premier League including Watford. He spent four years as assistant manager at MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps before moving to Old Trafford in 2019.
They will take the reins of the Blues first-team on Monday.
“I’d like to thank Mark Ashton and the owners for putting their faith in me and Martyn to take the Club forward,” Kieran told the Club website.
"Leaving a club like Manchester United was obviously a difficult decision, but I strongly believe in the opportunity to build something here.
"It feels like the right time, project and Club to make my first step into first-team management.
"For now, the focus for the team has to be on a huge game on Saturday. After that, I cannot wait to meet everyone and get to work."
Following the appointment, we caught up with Craig Finbow from Blue Monday Ipswich Town Podcast. He tells us how he feels about the news.
"I'm excited, and intrigued. I think those are the two main emotions. Obviously, the guy's never managed the team before. But he's got a lot of experience at some top clubs in the Premier League.
"We're assuming it's going to be an attacking style of play. Having come from Manchester United, they don't seem to tend to sit back themselves .So I'd say we are hoping for the best, as I say, he's worked with the very best players in the world.
"It'll be a more of an analytic and data-driven coaching setup I think. Hopefully, their meticulous attention to detail behind the scenes. will come to fruition on the pitch, maybe not immediately, but hopefully in the longer term.
Club CEO Mark Ashton said in a statement, "I’m delighted to officially welcome Kieran and Martyn to the Club.
"Kieran is a highly-respected young coach who has been working at the top level of English football and with one of the biggest clubs in world football for a number of years in Manchester United.
"He comes to the Club with pedigree within the game and with exciting plans about how he is going to take the team forward. When we met, there was a clear meeting of minds in terms of how we will execute the vision of this football club.
"I’d like to reiterate my thanks to John McGreal, Kieron Dyer, Rene Gilmartin and Carl Pentney for stepping up to take care of first-team duties during the interim period. They will remain in charge for Saturday’s game against Sunderland.
Both Kieran and Martyn will be in attendance for Saturday’s fixture with Sunderland, with a formal press conference scheduled for Monday, 20 December.